


rebuilt

by pixar_was_my_childhood



Series: 🚘cars🚘 [2]
Category: Cars (Pixar Movies)
Genre: < whole fic summarised into 1 sentence, Alive Doc Hudson (Cars), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Canon Related, Dialogue Heavy, Fireworks, Gen, New Years, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Out of Character, Pixar theories, Pre-Canon, Radiator Springs (Cars), Wordcount: 1.000-5.000, and after that 1 where mcqueen doesnt make the jump over the grandcanyon, based on someone's theory on jonnegroni.com, doc hudson rebuilds him, mack's only mentioned, new years fireworks are only in the last line, sorry they're all really ooc, that Mater's Tall Tales actually happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:35:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27253537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixar_was_my_childhood/pseuds/pixar_was_my_childhood
Summary: Expanded on the theory that following the Mater's Tall Tale at the Grand Canyon, Doc Hudson had to rebuild Lightning but without his memories. And in this minor AU, Doc sent Lightning away and created a whole new life for him as a racer but then he ends up back in RS and learns what happened.[I can't summarize lmao]
Relationships: Doc Hudson & Lightning McQueen, Tow Mater & Lightning McQueen, mater & doc hudson
Series: 🚘cars🚘 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2065050
Kudos: 4





	rebuilt

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween, guys.  
> I put way too much thought into this. Sorry, it's over 1k of dialogue.

Everything was set, the needed company called and the necessary arrangements were made. There was just one thing left, a very tough conversation.

“Mater, Lightning _can’t_ stay here. I won’t allow it.” Doc Hudon said when he and Mater were both standing in the middle of town.

“Why? You rebuilt him so why won’t you let him stay here?” Mater asked.

“That’s just the point, I rebuilt him, if he was to stay here and find out who he once was, it would destroy him. And I won’t have you two doing what you used to and getting yourself _both_ killed,” Doc Hudson reasoned. “The Lightning McQueen I rebuilt doesn’t have his original memories and is _not_ the one you were so close with,” he added.

“You don’t know that we would go and get ourselves killed. And are you saying that _I’m_ the reason this is all happening?” Mater asked.

“Yes, I am. If you hadn’t done that stunt jump over the Grand Canyon then we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Doc Hudson said.

“Then why did you rebuild him?” Mater asked.

“Because he was still alive, Mater. Do I regret doing so? Yes, but I will not kill him, oath or no oath,”

“So you gave him new memories and made him a whole new life as a racer? Out of all the different life paths you could have picked, you picked the one that ended you up here.” Mater said.

“It was the easiest for me to just drop him into without anyone asking too many questions. He’s designed to be a racer, anyways. And it’ll keep him far away from here.” They both would soon come to know that wouldn’t be the case.

“Look Mater, everything’s already all set. No one except us and Lightning’s new transport Mack knows. He's already transporting him as we speak,”

“There were other ways than what you chose, keep that in mind,” Mater said before he took off, most probably toward his shop.

* * *

**Years later**

“Hey Mater,” Lightning said one night while they were returning from their nightly tractor-tipping.

“Yeah?” the tow-truck answered.

“All those stories you’ve told me, the ones of us doing those crazy stunts, did they actually happen?” Lightning asked.

Mater had come so close to telling the racer the truth but then he remembered what Doc Hudson had told him the night Lightning had arrived in Radiator Springs again.

_“Lightning_ _cannot_ _know of his previous life here so you cannot tell him, no matter how much you may want to.”_

“No, they’re just stories.” Mater lied as they entered the town.

* * *

**Following the events of Cars 2.**

Lightning had been looking for something in Town Hall when he came across a very interesting photograph...

“Mater!” Lightning exclaimed as he sped up to where Mater was trying (and failing) to fix something on the exterior of his shop.

“Yeah?”

“What’s this?” Lightning asked, showing Mater the photo he had found at Town Hall.

It was of him, Mater, Doc Hudson, and all the other Radiator Springs residents (except for Sally).

“A photo of us all,” Mater answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“I know that but I don’t _remember_ us taking it and I’m clearly in it.” Lightning said.

Oh well, it was looking like he would have to tell him the truth after all.

“Ya _were_ there, Lightning, it was the day before the accident - on the day of the town’s anniversary,” Mater told him.

“What accident? Why don’t I remember any of this?” Lightning asked.

“Remember those stories I told you? The ones that I said were just tall tales? They are all true, and do you remember the one where we jump the Grand Canyon?” Mater asked.

“Yeah?”

“That one ended differently and not so good,” Mater said. “Doc had to almost completely rebuild ya but he couldn’t get yer memories across.”

“You both knew and didn’t tell me this earlier? I’ve been living here for three years now and you’ve never mentioned this? If I was rebuilt than why didn’t I live here after the accident? Why’s my first memory racing my first trial for the Piston Cup circuit?” Lightning asked.

“I would be a better one to answer those questions,” Doc Hudson said as he drove up to them. “But not out here,” He led Lightning to his clinic.

“See you later, Mater,” Lightning said to the tow truck who returned the farewell before he drove off toward Flo’s cafe.

Once the doors had shut, Doc Hudson started speaking.

“Eight years ago, while you both were doing your stupid job of stuntmen, you agreed to do a stunt-jump over the Grand Canyon, it didn’t go well - Mater made it over, Lightning wasn't so lucky,” Doc Hudson paused. “I was there, watching the jump as the precautionary doctor. The moment you went up in the air, I knew that the angle was off and the trajectory path was too short and I was correct. As for me rebuilding you, I had to as you were still alive after the fall,.” Doc Hudson told him.

“That doesn’t explain why I didn’t live here afterwards,” Lightning asked.

“It’s because I wouldn’t allow it, I didn’t want you and Mater to get yourselves killed,” Doc Hudson said.

“But after I ended up here again, why did you let me stay?” Lightning asked.

“Because, Lightning, you had gotten close with the townspeople again and I wouldn’t break that up, no matter how it might end,” Doc Hudson said.

“Is that the reason why you were so adamant on getting me out of town when I first arrived - arrived again - three years ago?” Lighting asked.

“Unfortunately yes, it was. And I regret not telling you all this when you arrived back here three years ago,” Doc Hudson said.

“Honestly, I’m not as surprised and confused now as I was when I found that photo in Town Hall.” Lightning said.

“I wanted to take it down but Mater was insistent on leaving it up, looks like it turned it good that it was still up there,” Doc said as a loud bang-bang-bang sound of fireworks were heard.

After their conversation wrapped up, they left the clinic to go to Flo’s V8 cafe to watch the New Year’s fireworks. Little did he (and the rest of RS residents) know but that night watching the fireworks wouldn't be long before the accident.

**Author's Note:**

> idea for another Cars movie (def won't happen as Cars 3 killed the franchise): Lightning's backstory (which is pretty much unknown)


End file.
